Linked
by BroknCanoli
Summary: Prince Akito is tired of his older sister, and banishes her and a random boy to modern-day Tokyo. A random boy with orange hair. The two must struggle to return to their kingdom while Akito attempts to claim the throne himself; and the heart of one of Toh


Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket characters. I don't.  
  
Author's Note: Sorry for the OOC-ness overall. I hope you enjoy it. ^_^  
  
  
  
Prologue  
  
  
  
It was another night of courting for Princess Tohru, and the process was as exhausting as ever. The young men of the Sohma kingdom descended from all corners of the countryside to lavish her with gifts, and all she could do was smile and thank them. All of them wanted to make an impression, because they knew that if she perhaps remembered a particular man, he would be that much closer to the crown.  
  
None of them ever made an impression though. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the attention, only that she didn't understand the motives behind it. Tohru would say the same phrases over and over: Thank you for your attention! This is too nice a present for a humble girl like myself! I am very impressed with your generosity, kind sir. She always meant what she said, but when she tried to puzzle out why so many young men came to her, she never had an answer.  
  
While this process was going on, her younger brother Akito was once again sick in bed. The family doctor was concerned; most days the young prince was not nearly as sick as this.  
  
"Is something especially the matter, Your Highness?" Hatori checked the charts in his hands. Yes, the boy's pulse was much quicker than normal.  
  
Akito was breathing heavily. He did not want to tell the doctor about his farm boy. He did not want to tell him how much he desired that particular peasant, or why he was upset. "Nothing is the matter. I am fine."  
  
Hatori was suspicious. He decided to let Queen Kyoko know as soon as possible about this awkward change. Prince Akito was often depressed, as most secondary children who will never rule tend to be, but tonight was certainly different.  
  
As soon as the man was gone, Akito crawled to his balcony. There, in the courtyard was his darling sister and all of her young suitors. He clenched his teeth and clung to the railing until his knuckles were white, but no amount of anguish would change the fact that his farm boy was indeed in the middle of that long line...  
  
A rustle by the curtain to his right. It was his beautiful servant, Shigure. The others in the castle had assumed it was for this reason that Akito kept him around, but in actuality there was a more practical reason. Shigure was a practitioner of the black arts, and he was fairly heartless.  
  
"My Liege," the man bowed. "What do you wish me do about this?"  
  
Akito's eyes lingered on the crowd below. "Get rid of her for me."  
  
"The trinket you made me bring, sire. It is for two people."  
  
"The other person matters not to me. Just pick someone, and do it fast."  
  
* * *  
  
Tohru set down a rather large golden swan, and looked up with some startlement. This boy's hair was a bright, bright orange. More shocking then that, he was wearing dirty jeans and a flannel shirt.  
  
"S-sir?" Who showed up looking like that to court a princess? Tohru was baffled.  
  
"Your name is Tohru, right?" The boy's eyes were challenging, and not at all lovestruck. Tohru became more confused by the minute.  
  
"Princess Tohru, sir. A little respect is in order."  
  
"Yeah, I know." He reached in the back pocket of his pants and pulled out a letter with a red heart sealing it. "Listen, this guy I know, he broke his leg tonight but he wanted me to bring this letter for you."  
  
"You don't have a letter for me?" The princess didn't know whether to be elated or insulted. "Tell me, please, why?"  
  
"Why?!"  
  
"What are your reasons?" She sprung to her feet in excitement. Imagine, someone not loving her!  
  
"Listen chica, you're kind of flat chested-"  
  
He was tackled by the man in line behind him. "Show Princess Tohru some respect, ruffian!"  
  
A fight ensued, which Tohru watched with less enthusiasm. Fights happened all the time. It was during this uproar that the court magician, Shigure appeared beside her. A few minutes passed before she realized he was there, and though she greeted him, Tohru shuddered a little inside. The man was so creepy, with his floor-length cape and emotionless black eyes. Tohru wondered what her brother could like about such a man.  
  
And suddenly, she was thrown out of her throne, and her right wrist ached terribly. Tohru opened her eyes and looked around her, but she could see nothing that made sense. Colors shifted and shapes were blurry. Her body felt horribly stretched and out of place. She screamed, but she was alone and her wrist still felt burning hot...  
  
Eventually she was tossed to the ground, sweating and panting. The ground below her was paved, and there were people here; many people wearing strange garments of gray. Looking up made the princess dizzy. There were so many towers here, but they all were rectangular! And so tall, much taller than any palace she had visited in her lifetime.  
  
The pain around her wrist directed her attention to her right. A chain was wrapped tightly around her arm, and at the other end of the chain was a boy, face down in the puddle the two of them had fallen in. A boy with flaming orange hair.  
  
He sat up and rubbed his head. "God damn," he muttered, "What in hell happened? What are you doing here?"  
  
Tohru blinked again. "You are so rude! I don't know what I'm doing here either."  
  
He stood up and began to leave, but the chain attached to his left wrist caught him and he looked back at her sharply. "What's up with this?"  
  
"I don't know!"  
  
"And where are we, dammit! This is the most advanced city I've ever been to!"  
  
"I don't know!"  
  
The boy sighed and put her onto her feet. "I can already tell we're going to get along great, Princess. You don't even know when it's a good idea to stand up."  
  
Tohru flushed, but said nothing. All her life she had wondered what it would be like to find a boy that didn't love her, but now that she had met one, she was less than impressed.  
  
To Be Continued... 


End file.
